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What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear--a world of wit irony and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts the imperial palace or the spectacles of the arena? Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing but also trickiest of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing--from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book--Mary Beard tracks down the giggles smirks and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient 'monkey business' to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny she explores Roman humor from the hilarious to the momentous to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really 'get' the Romans' jokes?

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Product summary

What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear--a world of wit irony and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts the imperial palace or the spectacles of the arena? Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing but also trickiest of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing--from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book--Mary Beard tracks down the giggles smirks and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient 'monkey business' to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny she explores Roman humor from the hilarious to the momentous to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really 'get' the Romans' jokes?

Returns policy

We want you to be entirely happy with your order from start to finish but, if for any reason you change your mind about your order or if your order arrives faulty, please click here to view our full Delivery and Returns policy including information regarding postcode restrictions.

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